The Miami Dolphins cleared another hurdle Wednesday as a
Senate committee unanimously approved in the team’s plan to get taxpayer
financing for a $400 million stadium.

The bill, SB 306, picked up a major amendment
Wednesday, with lawmakers agreeing to allow Miami-Dade voters to have the final
say on whether or not to approve the taxpayer subsidies for the stadium in Miami Gardens.

The referendum could be a tough sell, and potentially
a deal killer, as a new poll suggests that Miami-Dade voters are
overwhelmingly opposed to the Dolphins’ proposal. More than 70 percent oppose
the proposal and most of those strongly oppose it, according to the poll from Dario
Moreno, a political science professor at Florida International
University.

Those supporting the bill brushed
the poll aside, saying the team had its own internal polls that showed more
favorable results.

“Ultimately, taking this through the referendum was the important piece to us,”
said Dolphins CEO Mike Dee, who traveled to Tallahassee to voice support for SB 306. “We want the voters to have a voice, and at the end
of the day, the facts will prevail.”

Marcus Bach-Armas, Manager of Corporate Affairs for the Dolphins, said he questioned the validity of the poll because it came from “Norman
Braman’s pollster.” Braman, a staunch opponent of taxpayer financed stadium
deals, has campaigned heavily against the bill.

Sen. Oscar Braynon, D-Miami Gardens,
who is sponsoring the bill, said he is not concerned about the referendum, and
is instead focusing on getting the bill through the Legislature.

“My job is to pass it in the Senate, and that’s what I’m
going to do,” he said, adding that there would be ample time to convince the public about the benefits of a new stadium. The bill has cleared its first Senate committee with a
unanimous vote.

The amendment allows the referendum to take place before
the bill is enacted. That could potentially allow Miami-Dade to set a
referendum vote for sometime this Spring, ahead of the National Football
League’s decision of where Super Bowl 50 will take place. South
Florida is being considered, and the Dolphins say a newly
renovated stadium could help give the region a leg up.

“This is going to be a great economic boom to my
community and to the state of Florida,”
said Braynon.

If the plan gets approval from a majority of Miami-Dade
voters, many of whom are still stinging from the widely panned Marlins stadium
deal, the Dolphins are likely to get a flashy new stadium.

The Dolphins are asking for the mainland hotel tax to
increase from 6 percent to 7 percent, as well as up to $90 million in sales tax
rebates, paid out over 30 years. The $3 million annual tax break would be in
addition to $2 million in annual payments SunLife is already receiving.
Altogether, taxpayer money would help fund about half of the costs for the $400
million renovation. Miami-Dade legislators opted against making the stadium
bill one of their legislative priorities this year.

Other amendments
were also added on Wednesday. One
amendment increased the minimum stadium renovation cost from $250 million to
$300 million. Another amendment targeted the international banking industry,
and generated significant discussion. The amendment, not directly related to
the crux of the Dolphins debate, would end a current $10 million incentive for
international banks.